Heartbeats
by Aria Evans
Summary: It was just to get him off our back. Now, it was different. Our feelings for each other had become something real. After keeping up this charade, we didn't even notice how inseparable we had become.
1. Chapter 1: Party Time

**Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own Resident Evil or any of their characters or anything. (Even though that would be awesome) Just read and enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?" Piers snapped out of his trance and looked up. His current girlfriend was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. He looked at her, confused. She let out a sigh. "I said that I have to go to my parent's this weekend, so I can't go to the party that Chris guy invited you to. Not that it matters, since you really don't care." She turned to walk away, but Piers grabbed her arm.

"I do care. I'm just..." He trailed off.

"Listen, I know you have a lot on your mind. You've been looking for something to challenge your skills, and I think you should take Chris up on his offer, but try to see it from my point of view. Fighting bio-terrorism is a very dangerous job. You could be shipped out for months on end, and that's hard for me. I would be living in constant worry, wondering if you would make it back alive or not. I... I want you to go, but I don't want to stay." Piers released her from his grasp and stared off. He thought to himself for a moment before speaking.

"I.. understand. Maybe it's for the best. It's just to much for you right now." He dropped his gaze. She moved towards him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Your a great guy. Some girl is going to be very lucky to have you some day." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she let go, turned to gab her purse, and walked out the front door, not even looking back. Piers sank into a chair, still coming to terms with what had just happened. They had been together for months, but now it didn't seem to matter. He sat there a few minutes before getting up and going to check his scheduled. He would have to give his answer to this Chris Redfield man about joining his team or not, by tomorrow night. It was weighing heavy on his mind, but now he knew he had to go through with it. He sighed and pulled a beer out of his fridge.

"Why the hell not? I have nothing to lose."

* * *

"Good to see you Mr. Nivans." Chris shook his hand firmly. "To be honest, I thought you wouldn't show." Piers gave him a questioning look.

"Oh? Why wouldn't I? I'm not the type of person who runs and hides. Besides, I still have to give you an answer." Chris looked at him, waiting. Piers left him in suspense for a moment, then spoke. "I've decided to join, if you still need me." Chris let out a huge smile and put his hand on Piers's shoulder.

"Welcome to the team." Chris nodded in approval.

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best." They both parted ways to go enjoy the party. Piers was introduced to his unit, and Chris was talking to an elegant and beautiful blond that someone addressed as "Jill."

While standing with his new team, something caught Piers's eye. A wave of long, fiery red hair and a an outfit that hugged it's owner's curves in just the right way passed by him. He stared after the woman, until she merged with the crowd.

Piers turned to the guy next to him and asked, "Who was that?" The guy looked at him with his eyebrow raised.

"You mean the girl with the red hair that just walked passed us?" Piers nodded, and the guy busted out laughing so hard, tears came to his eyes.

"What?" The guy settled down, wiping the tears away.

"Her name is Claire. Claire Redfield." He made sure to emphasize her last name. "I'm just going to let you know now, she's way out of your league. Besides, her brother is technically your boss, and he would kill you."

Like on cue, Chris came over to them. "What are you guys talking about?" The guy smirked and looked at Piers.

"I think our new recruit has an interest in you sister, Captain." Chris looked at Piers, shocked.

"Oh, really? Wait, I thought you had a girlfriend." Piers looked at the ground and remained silent. Both Chris and the guy frowned and put their hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, cheer up. It happens to the best of us." the guy said before walking off to talk to the others. Chris pulled his arm around Piers and drug him away from the group.

"So, you like my sister?" Chris leaned in to listen to his reply. Piers sighed.

"Sir, with all do respect, I was just wondering who she was. I'm really not looking to complicate my life or anyone else's right now." Piers was starting to get annoyed by the situation.

"Wow. That's almost exactly the same thing she said." Chris looked off into the crowd. "I actually think your the guy she needs, Piers. Someone who will treat her with respect, like she deserves." His words seemed genuine. Piers shook his head.

"I don't even know anything about her. Right now, I just don't want anything that will distract me. At least until I get settled."

In the midst of their conversation, a slow song started playing, causing everyone to disperse and find their dates. Chris nudged Piers.

"I get it, but you could at least ask the girl to dance. She's dateless too." Piers stared at him, doubtful. "Well, I'm not going to dance with you. I have my own date." Chris flashed a smile at him before walking off.

Piers stood there, wondering whether he should skip out or not. "Umm. Excuse me." A woman's voice called out from behind him. He turned around, and much to his surprise, she was standing there.

"Sorry, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Claire."


	2. Chapter 2: A Reason to Dance

"Pleased to meet you Ms. Redfield." Piers extended a hand to her.

"Oh, so you already know who I am." She accepted the gesture. "I'm going to guess that Chris took the liberty of introducing me." He nodded and looked her over. She was even more stunning up close. He was wondering how she could possibly be dateless, when she interrupted his train of thought. "I apologize for my brother. He's plotting to set us up." Piers had thought as much.

"Yea, I kinda figured as much. Sorry, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now." Claire laughed a little, which in a way, hurt Piers. She noticed his change in expression and quickly added her input.

"I'm not either. I've told Chris that a thousand times, but he keeps trying to get me to date." Piers looked into her eyes. They were sparkling from the way the light was hitting them, causing their deep blue color to appear a few shades lighter. He lost what he was going to say, but eventually asked her,"Why?" She turned her head sideways, contemplating on whether to answer him or not. During their silence, the song had stopped, and another had started. Piers held out his hand in a chivalrous manner.

"Would you care to dance? It's the least I could do." Claire looked at him, uncertain. He decided to reassure her. "I already said I'm not looking for a relationship. I just don't want to let this opportunity go to waste." She raised her eyebrow.

"Opportunity? What opportunity?" He laughed under his breath, and grinned at her.

"It's a chance to tease your brother, while at the same time, getting to dance with a beautiful lady. It's a win, win on my part." He flashed a gorgeous smile at her. She blushed at the sudden change in mood. He did the same, avoiding her eyes, having noticed how he had created an awkward atmosphere. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"I would love to." She responded to him. He was a bit surprised, but happy at the reply.

He took her hand in his, leading her to the dance floor. She followed behind him. Piers had danced a few times before. He wasn't perfect at it, but who cared? He had asked the lady to dance, so he would dance; even if he looked like a circus monkey.

When they reached their destination, Piers turned to face her. "So then, I'll lead?"

"Psh. As if." She took his hands and placed them on her waste, then placed her's on his shoulders. Piers was surprised to see how well she fit there. like she had been made to be his dance partner. She smirked at him. "Try and keep up."

All of the sudden, they were moving. First it was a gentle sway back and forth, but then it picked up into a professional grade waltz. They had both managed to match their speed and intensity, causing them to be perfectly in sinc. Some of the people on the dance floor had taken notice, and decided to give the wonderful duo more room.

"So, I have a favor to ask." Claire said, keeping her gaze glued on her dance partner.

"Ok, shoot." He whispered to her.

"Can you help me get my brother off my back about the whole dating thing? I'm far beyond old enough to make my own decisions." Claire made a face.

"Well, what would you have me do?" She was surprised to see that he had actually accepted her request so easily.

"Just get him to think were dating or something. That way, he feels he succeeded, and I can get back to my Friday nights spent watching Lifetime movies while eating junk food."

"Wow. I'll see what I can do then. And Lifetime movies? Really?" He teased her.

"What? You got a problem with it?" She stuck her tongue out at him, playfully.

"You need to live a little. Your weekend plans make you sound like an old woman." He looked her over again and raised an eyebrow. "How old are you? Twenty-eight? Twenty-nine?" Claire bit her lip.

"A woman never reveals her age." Piers got the hint, and let the conversation go.

As the song reached the end, Chris intruded on the pair. "Hey, mind if I cut in?" They both turned and glared at him. He stood there, uncomfortably. "Well then." He said with a lot of sarcasm. "Claire, I'm about to head out. Me and Jill have to go stop by Walmart and pick up a few things." He turned to Piers and put his hand on his shoulder. He looked down, let out a sigh, then shot his head up and stared down Piers. "Don't have too much fun. My sister still has to get up early tomorrow to make it to the airport on time." His tone was serious, but his face made it obvious he was joking.

Claire's cheeks turned blood red, but she tried her hardest to brush off his comment. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm leaving too." She stormed off, making sure Chris saw her give Piers a wink before she headed out.

"My bad. I forgot about my sister's temper and her inability to take a joke. Other than that, what do you think?" He waited anxiously for his answer.

"She's pretty hot. Might wanna keep a closer eye on her though. She seems a little wild." Piers smirked. Chris rolled his eye. He was about to say something, when the blond haired woman came over to them.

"Chris, hurry up." She grabbed onto his arm. Chris quickly introduced them. "Oh! Nice to finally meet you. Chris has been bragging on and on about your sniping skills. You'll make a wonderful addition to the team." She smiled warmly at him, then abducted Chris, leaving Piers all alone.

_What have I gotten myself into_. Piers thought to himself as he was saying his goodbyes to everyone. _I set out NOT to complicate my life, and what happens? My life just became more complicated. _He sighed as he got into his car and headed home.


	3. Chapter 3: First Day on the Job

**Author's note: Sorry guys. I've been crazy busy lately. I'm going to try to update every week? Maybe? I don't know. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chris handed Piers a sheet of paper. He looked it over, and laughed slightly, trying to take it all in. "That's it?" He said to Chris in a sarcastic tone.

Schedule:

6:00 A.M.: Breakfast

6:15 A.M.: Morning stretching

6:45 A.M.: Hand-to-hand practice

7:00 A.M.: B.O.W information/knowledge study

7:30 A.M: Sniping practice

8:30 A.M.: Morning run

10:00 A.M.:Break

10:15 A.M.: Intell study (Strategy practice)

10:45 A.M.: Sparring practice

11:30 A.M.: Progress check

12:00 P.M.: Lunch break

12:30 P.M.: Afternoon stretching

1:00 P.M.: Group sparring and exercise

1:50 P.M.: Combat against B.O.W. simulation

3:00 P.M.: Free (choice practice)

4:00 P.M.: Break

4:15 P.M.: Hand-to-hand practice

4:30 P.M.: Unit practice

5:10 P.M.: Unit simulation (Medical/combat)

6:00 P.M.: Day progress check

_Holy hell. _"Well, you have all of this planned out to the exact minute, don't you?" Chris noticed the stress in his voice.

"Don't worry, rookie. We'll help you every step of the way." He gave Piers a calming smile. "It's only five days of the week. The weekend's all yours."

"That makes me feel so much better." Piers muttered under his breath.

"Don't complain. I know it's a lot at first, but you'll get use to it. So, you ready?" Piets took a second to gather his thoughts.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Sir." Chris shook his head at him.

"No, no, no. Don't call me 'Sir'. It's Captain." He said in a superior tone. He closed his eyes, waiting for Piers. When he didn't reply, he opened one eye and looked at him, encouraging him to try it out.

"Oh! Sorry, ummm... Captain." They both stared at each other."We'll work on it. Anyway, lets get started." Chris led Piers out of his office and into a place they called "the training ground." It was a giant room with all sorts of weaponry and equipment scattered throughout the open space. Many of the people from his unit were putting the stuff to good use. Chris stopped to talk to some of the guys, giving Piers a chance to scope out the rest of his surroundings.

The first thing to catch his attention was a Anti-Material Rifle, looking all nice and pretty in the corner next to some targets. _That was made for me. _Piers was so mesmerized by it, that he didn't notice Chris sneak up behind him.

"See something you like?" Chris asked him, jokingly. Piers jumped.

"That rifle..." Piers continued to stare. Chris laughed, walked over and picked it up, then handed it to him.

"It's yours. A little welcome present for the guys. Even Claire put in some money." He nudged him and smirked.

"Oh, yea! Your sister, right? How's she doing?" Piers asked innocently.

"She's fine, thanks for asking. In fact, she's coming here today."

He stood there, waiting to hear a reason for why she was going to make and appearance, but Chris didn't give one. Piers shrugged and walked to put up his gun; Chris followed.

"She's a civilian, Sir. Why is she coming here?" Strangely, he was extremely concerned for her wellbeing.

"She's coming to be your practice buddy today. And what did I tell you about calling me sir?" Chris kept pace with him. Piers stopped, turned on his heels, and stared straight at him.

"Why?" He balled his fist up in anger. Chris could tell he had offended him in some way. He quickly thought of a way to defuse the situation.

"Chill out. She has plenty of experience." Chris tried to calm him down, but Piers still looked doubtful. "She's a Raccoon City survivor. She's tougher than she looks."

"Raccoon City?" Piers had read about the incident, and how horrific it had been. It had piqued his curiosity. "What was it like? How did she get out?"

Chris shrugged, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He pointed as Claire walked through the door, her hair in curls and trailing behind her.

"Hello boys. Waiting on me?"

"Actually we were." Chris grinned at her. "Always so damn late. Glad I wasn't dying."

"Shut up! I'm right on time, so don't complain." She said while glaring at him.

"I. WAS. KIDDING. LEARN. TO. TAKE. A. JOKE." He said in a robotic voice. She laughed and they hugged each other. Piers decided to give them some time alone, getting back to the task of putting away his gun. By the time he had put it up, Claire was making her way over to him.

"Hey! Chris told me I'm helping you today. Probably his idea of matchmaking." She sighed and closed her eyes, looking for a moment of peace.

"Uh, yea." He spaced out, lost in his own thoughts.

After a few moments of silence, Claire asked, "You ok? You seem a little distracted."

"Hmm? Oh, yea. I'm fine, It's just..." The questions were eating away at him. "Chris told me that you escaped Raccoon."

"And you want me to tell you about it." Claire was use to being interrogated about the experiences. It was nothing new to her.

"If you don't mind. I would kind of like to know just what I signed up for." Piers knew that no matter how many reports he had read, it was nothing compared to hearing about it from someone who had been through it first hand.

"Alright, but I have some conditions."

Piers raised his eyebrow. "Ok? You name it." He regretted saying it right as the words left his mouth.

"First off, we're going on a "date" soon. You already promised to help me. Second, you're buying me lunch for the next week, no exceptions. And third, you have to watch my brother's back. Being his little sister, I worry about him, a lot." She smiled at him.

"That's a lot of conditions for just some information." He was weighing them out in his mind. "I guess I'll take you up on your offer. All except for me paying for your lunch this week." Claire pondered it for a second.

"Fine. Just today then? Please? Cause I didn't really bring any money with me today."

"Ok, but you have to tell me everything I ask about. Deal?" Piers held out his hand to her. She accepted it, shaking it firmly.

"Deal. So, what do you want to know?"


	4. Chapter 4: The Past

So many people, all dead; though some of them didn't stay that way. They got back up, covered in blood, with an unbearable stench and a hunger for flesh. Claire had fought off these monsters. With the help of a rookie cop, Leon Scott Kennedy, she had escaped this nightmare. They had helped each other, became partners and fled the city; all while saving a girl by the name of Sherry Birkin. In the end, the city was destroyed, leaving nothing but painful memories and a nuked city.

* * *

"That's about the jist of it." Claire poked at the food Piers had so generously paid for. She couldn't help but to stare off into space.

"You ok?" He waved his hand in front of her eyes. She snapped back to attention.

"Yea. I get sort of depressed thinking about the past. I knew a lot of good people there. Some of them I had to shoot." She took a collective breath, then let it out. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Actually, yes." He had so many questions already lined up, but didn't know which ones to ask first. Right as he opened his mouth, a bell sounded, dismissing everyone back to their previous activities.

"Come on. We can talk more about it later, and you can ask me as much as your heart desires." She winked at him from across the table. He didn't know how to take her response. He was still confused as they both got up and started making their way to the training ground.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Piers asked her, sympathetically. Claire stopped dead in her tracks, her face a little red with frustration.

"Let's go ahead and get one thing straight. I'm not weak. I don't need you to worry about me, and I certainly don't need you to go easy on me. I've been through hell and back, multiple times. I can handle a lot, trust me." They froze there, locked in a stare down. Piers was the first to break.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." He looked down, trying to hide his embarrassment. Claire laid her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright. Don't take it personally. I just don't like being underestimated."

* * *

Man, did he ever underestimate her. She had pretty much kicked his ass at everything. Her aim was almost as good, if not slightly better than his. She had obviously been well trained in close combat; Piers had the bruises to prove. What had surprised him the most, was how up-to-date her information on B.O.W.'s was.

"How do you know all this? I thought you'd be out of the loop, considering you a civilian now and all."

"TerraSave provides me with all the information I need. It's some of the perks of being a very well trusted employee." She beamed pridefully.

"You work for TerraSave?" Piers was quite shocked at this news. "It seems like such a waste of your talents if you ask me."

"I decided to trade in my gun for a desk job. I'll admit, I miss it from time to time, but I don't regret it. I wanted a regular life. As for the waste of my talents, let's agree to disagree." Claire was stuck with a smug look on her face.

"Ok, so now that I know how you keep on top of things, where did you learn to fight like that?" She looked away sheepishly.

"Believe it or now, my brother taught me everything I know. He's the reason I survived, but then again, he's the reason I went to Raccoon in the first place." She was weighing out the positives and negatives of her brother's existence, when Piers chimed back in.

"How good is the Captain exactly?" He knew Chris was highly praised among, well, just about everyone. Every military personnel in a high ranking position respected him.

"Well, he was a member of the elite S.T.A.R.S unit, so you could say he had a lot of on the job training. He was in with the best of the best."

It was just surprise after surprise for Piers at this point. _Learn to expect the unexpected. _"I don't know.. What if I'm not up for this? What if I let the Captain down?"

"Don't second guess yourself. He chose you out of everyone else. You impressed him, which frankly, isn't the easiest thing to do. You'll get the hang of things. It just takes some time." She looked him straight in the eyes. He was held there, studying her facial features. Her eyes, her cheeks, and mostly her lips. She seemed to be doing the same to him. Chris walked over to them, assessed the situation, and let out a slight laugh.

"You guys, we have work to do. You can gaze into each others eyes on your own time." He placed his hand between their faces, blocking out their line of sight to each other. They both took a step back, blinking away their confusion. Chris grabbed Piers and smirked at Claire. "I've got to take him with me for now. Your work here is done for today." He stuck his tongue out at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll leave then." She suddenly shifted her attention to Piers. "Remember, you owe me a date." Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Name the time and the place and I'll be there." They all exchanged goodbyes, and parted ways.

Chris whispered to Piers. "So, what exactly do you two have planned?" Piers bit his lip.

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He smiled at him, in almost a menacing way. Chris looked at him and pouted.

"Fine then, don't tell me."


	5. Chapter 5: The First Date

"Just tell me where we're going." Claire trailed closely behind Piers, being very careful not to trip over anything. She had bugged him mercilessly over the past few days, demanding he keep his promise to go on a date with her. Now, they were walking along a path in the middle of the park, the newly fallen leaves crunching under their feet.

"So impatient." Piers mumbled under his breath. "Hold on. We're almost there." He continued to lead her forward, until they reached a scenic picnic set up.

"Wow. Fancy." Claire smiled, thinking over her genius plan. "So now all we have to do is take some pictures, pretend we're dating for a few weeks, and then "break up" and blame Chris for our broken hearts." She chuckled darkly at the thought. Piers gave her a worried look.

"I think you're having too much fun with this." He sat on the wooden bench and pulled two plastic water bottles out of the picnic basket. He tossed one to Claire, then chugged the other. She took a seat on the opposite side of the table, looking at him like he was some sort of wild animal. "Stop staring at me like that. I was thirsty." He said defensively. She continued to watch him, crossing her arms as she did so. "What? Take a picture, it'll last longer." He teased her, smiling. She smiled back.

"We'll soooorrrryy!" She giggled through her words. After taking a few moments to compose herself, she started making small talk. "You know, I've told you a lot about me. Isn't it your turn to share a little bit of background information?" It seemed fair to Piers that since she had so graciously shared her painful past with him, that he could, in turn, tell her about himself.

"Well, I'm from a military family. All the way back to my great-great grandfather, the men of my family have served their time to protect this country. When I was young, my mother died from a illness. On that day, I swore I would do her proud and carry on the family business. I ended up taking that determination all the way with me to graduation." He stopped and looked at her smugly. "I graduated, top of my class. My old man couldn't have been happier. He was even more ecstatic when I told him my future plans."

A question, that she just had to ask, popped into Claire's mind. "What did he say about Chris's offer?" Her eyes gleamed in the autumn sun. "Was he upset or supportive?" She leaned in closer.

"Hmm. I guess he would be supportive. As long as I'm fighting for what I think is right, he would understand."

"Ohh. So you haven't told him about it yet?" She teased him.

"I did, but dead people don't normally come out of their graves to give you advice." Piers stared at the ground, remembering all the good advice his father had given him over the years. Claire sat there, feeling remorseful.

"...I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose people close to you. If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did he die?"

"About two years ago. Cancer finally got the best of him." They were both silent for a moment. "What about your family?" Claire lifted her head, a pouty look on her face. Piers raised his eyebrow. "Don't want to talk about it?" She shook her head, letting him know that she, in fact, did not want to talk about it.

"Let's change the subject to something less depressing." She contemplated for a minute, hoping to think of something they could both talk about that wasn't emotional. While she thought, Piers unpacked the rest of the contents of the picnic basket. He laid the food on the table, handing Claire a soda. Her stomach growled loudly at the sight of something to eat. Piers heard it and tried to keep a straight face, but ended up snickering out loud.

"What?! I'm just hungry!" She laid her head on the table before he had the chance to see her blush. He picked up a sandwich and slid it across the table to her. She took it without moving anything but her arms, unwrapping it and taking a bite. She shot her head up and looked him dead in the eyes. "Did you put tomatoes on these?"

He gave her a sideways look. "Yea. Why?" Her eyes widened and she fell over on the ground. Piers shot up from his seat, in panic, and ran over to her. "Claire! Claire, are you ok?!" By the time he got to her, he noticed that she wasn't dying, but she was laughing her ass off. His face changed from panic, to relief, to anger and back. She pointed at him and laughed some more.

"Sorry! I couldn't help myself. The atmosphere was so tense and serious, that I had to do SOMETHING. And you were just sitting there with a dopey look on your face, not even trying to be spontaneous." She stuck her lip out. "Serves you right to get the bejeezus scared out of you."

Suddenly, Piers was on top of her, with an evil look in his eyes. "Not spontaneous you say?" Using his arms to prop up, he brought his face closer to hers. Her cheeks turned so red, that the color of her face meshed with her hair.

"Well, that escalated quickly." She laughed nervously, averting her eyes from his. He chuckled, so close to her that their lips were almost touching.

"You called this upon yourself, Ms. Redfield. Now I'll have to give you CPR." The few people that were actually roaming around the park had taken notice of the pair. The extra attention they were drawing was too much for Claire. She maneuvered out from under him, taking back her place at the table. Piers remained on the ground, rolling on his back to look up at the sky. "Now I see why Chris teases you so much." He grinned up at her.

"Oh? And why is that?" She answered his expression with a glare.

"Well, because. It's so much fun to watch you get all worked up. It's kinda cute." He made a kissy face at her.

She sighed and pulled her camera out of her purse. "Come on. I still have to take some damn pictures with you." He got up and sat beside her on the bench. She lifted the camera up, checking to make sure they were both in the shot. "Scoot closer." She grabbed his arm and forced him to slide right next to her. "At least look like you're having fun." She mumbled to him as she smiled for the picture. Right at the last second, he grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Right as the flash went off, their lips touched, leaving Claire both shocked and dazed. Somewhere in her processing stage, Piers had gotten up and moved back where he was sitting, chowing down on a sandwich. She slowly turned to face him, her heart still beating a million miles a second.

"Serves you right." He mocked her. She blinked away any feelings she had at the moment, telling herself it was all just an act. After her heart had settled, she sighed again, looking at the picture.

"You were never planning on letting me off easy, were you?" He put down half of his uneaten sandwich, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.

"Now where would the fun be in that?"


	6. Chapter 6: Simulation

**Author's note: I'm glad to have gotten such positive reviews! It really is encouraging to know people like what I've written. So, here you go folks! Hope you enjoy it! Btw: I had to make up names for some of the people on Alpha team. Don't judge.**

* * *

"Cover me." Chris whispered behind him as he signaled for the rest of his unit to move into position. "On my mark." He looked straight into Piers's eyes as he started the countdown. "3...2...1. Go, go, go!" The men moved through the dark, breaking down the door to an old, rundown building; storming the place with their guns raised. Chris and Piers trailed in behind them, cautiously. "Alright boys. Let's show our newest member how it's done." They all nodded to him.

"Yes Captain!" They replied in unison. Moving together, they searched each of the rooms. "Clear!" "Clear." "This room's clear!" "This one too!" They called to each other. After each room was thoroughly checked, everyone reported back to Chris. "Nothing unusual, Captain." Out of nowhere one of them yelled out, "Grenade!" Everyone immediately snapped into action and lunged to find cover.

Just ahead from where Piers was hiding, the grenade exploded, momentarily blinding him and clouding his hearing. His instincts told him to drop to the floor and crawl forward. Regaining his senses, he grabbed his gun from his side, slid behind a wall for protection, and aimed at the first enemy he saw. Before he had the chance to shoot, another gun sounded, taking his kill.

"Too slow, rookie." He turned around to see one of the guys with a smug look on his face. Piers lifted his gun and shot the enemy that was sneaking up on his team mate, all while returning the same look. The guy spun around and observed the fallen enemy. He whistled. "Damn. You hit him square between the eyes. Impressive." He gave Piers a thumbs up before going ahead to help out the rest of the squad.

After many fired bullets and fallen targets, the team regrouped to hear further instructions. Chris looked at each of them before opening his mouth to speak. "Alright men. We only have a few more enemies to take out and then we can catch our breaths. You've all put forth some amazing effort, and that's shown in your performance. Now, let's go out there and get those bastards so we can go home. Move out!" He ordered them.

They started hunting down the rest of the hostiles, and one by one, they were terminated at the hands of the team. While they all took time to reload, Piers wandered off to scope out ahead of them. He had just found and taken out and enemy from behind, when another one jumped out of nowhere, catching him off guard. He braced himself for what was to come. _BANG!_ The hostile dropped his weapon, falling to the ground with a bullet in it's head.

"I got your back." Chris said as he came around the corner. "Just remember, we're a team. You don't have to do this all by yo.." His sentence was cut off by a robotic voice over an intercom.

"_Mission success. All hostiles terminated. Simulation complete."_ The voice repeated the same phrases a few more times before the lights came on and everyone filed out of the practice simulation room. A woman was waiting by the doorway, nose deep in some red folder. The moment Chris saw her, he broke out in a huge smile.

"Rebecca! How've you been?" Her head shot up from behind the folder, revealing a baby faced girl with brown, pixie cut hair. Her eyes brightened just at the sound of his voice.

"Hey Chris! It's been a while!" She closed the folder and fidgeted. "Can I see you for a second?" He held up his index finger to tell her he needed a minute, then turned to the team.

"Alright guys, take five." He said to them. After he put up his weapons, he disappeared into his office, Rebecca trailing right behind him. A few minutes later, they both re-emerged, Chris now holding the red folder. They exchanged a hug and parted ways. Chris returned to the team, holding up the infamous folder. "We have intell that there have been B.O.W. sightings near the underground sewers of New York. It's our job to go in and investigate; take out any hostiles if necessary." He boomed loudly, but then started mumbling something to himself, causing confusion amongst the group.

"Captain?" One of the men addressed him, concerned. Chris raised his eyebrows and looked up at him.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was deciding who all to take. I figured we won't need but a few of us." He continued to sort out things in his head. He finally cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "All right. I'm going to take Rick, Carlos, John, Corrie, and..." He hesitated for a moment, closing his eyes. "And Piers. I want all of you ready bright and early tomorrow. Dismissed."

A few murmurs of discontent dotted the group, but were quickly shot down by one glare from Chris. As the others walked towards the locker room, Chris grabbed Piers and pulled him into his office. He pulled out his phone, shoving it in Piers's face. "So, you and my sis, huh?" He sat on his desk with a stupid look plastered on his face.

"What?" Piers took a second to examen the picture thrust upon him. "Ooh." He realized it was the one taken at the park, with him and Claire looking all in love and stuff. "Well, I guess you could say that." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from Chris's retarded expressions. After an extremely long, awkward silence, Chris finally burst out in excitement.

"She told me everything! I knew you two would make a great couple. Jill even said so." He beamed.

"Yea, yea, yea. I get it. Can I go now? I need to go home and get prepared for the mission tomorrow." Piers suddenly felt as if he was going to pass out from exhaustion.

"Yes, but make sure you call and let Claire know." Piers looked at him, barely able to open his eyes.

"Why?" Chris slapped him on the back, jolting him back to full awareness.

"Cause, she worries, and the fact that if you don't tell her, she'll try to call you. If you don't pick up, well, let's just say there'll be hell to pay." He massaged his temple to show that he had made that mistake before, and it was just a big mess waiting to happen.

"Ok, ok. I'll call her at the airport tomorrow. Deal?" Chris nodded, obviously satisfied. Before Piers had the chance to turn around to leave, Chris added one last thing.

"Remember, your not a one man army. We're all a team. Regardless of how good you are, you are not expendable. None of us are." The words rang in Piers's ears, giving him a feeling he hadn't felt in a while; that he belonged to a sort of family now.

"Yes, Captain. I'll work on it."


	7. Chapter 7: Scope and Recon

**Author's Note: I'll make a deal with those of you who like my fanfic. If someone finds (or makes) some good Piers and Claire fan art, I'll post 5 chapters in the same week. I'll also do a cute Christmas special.**

* * *

Piers wandered through the airport, searching hopelessly for any sign of which way to go. He was astounded that he had passed through security without a hitch, but now, he was frantically seeking his flight gate. To him, everything looked the same, causing him to literally run around in circles. In the midst of his distress, Chris had found him, dragging him towards the gate like a child. Piers couldn't help but to feel embarrassed, knowing that he had to come and find him. He hated feeling useless, mentally beating himself up as he followed behind Chris.

"Don't worry about it." He couldn't see Chris's face, but knew he was giving him a warm and gentle smile. "To tell you the truth, I have a horrible sense of direction when it comes to places like this. I had to get Claire to show me where our plane was."

"She's here?" Piers was now walking right next to him.

"She's not coming with us if that's what you're asking. She just wanted to see us off. I thought it was a good idea, and now you won't have to worry about calling her." He gave him a slight jab in his ribs, playing around. "Besides, now you can give her a goodbye kiss." Before Piers had the chance to make a snappy come back, they had arrived at their destination. The rest of the team was ready and waiting on them.

"You guys better hurry, or you'll both miss the flight." Claire was to the left of them, slumped over on a column. "And you said I was the one that was always late." Chris grinned slightly at her remark.

"I've already told you bye. I'll let you and your boyfriend here have your own time." He walked over to the rest of the team, advising them to go ahead while he got his ticket checked, leaving Claire and Piers alone to plot their next move.

"He's still watching us." Piers observed.

"I know. Want to mess with him?" She stared after Chris with an evil look in her eye.

"Depends on what you have in mind." Claire got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Before she had the chance to back away, Piers grabbed her, holding her in a sort of steel trap hug.

"Can't... breath..." He smiled and loosened his grip. He gave her a quick peck on the top of her head and pulled her away to gaze warmly into her eyes. As he released her and left, he heard her mutter something to herself. All he could make out from it were the words "damn" and "good". He quickly boarded the plane and found his seat next to the rest of the squad. Right as he sat down, they all gave him a creepy stare. Piers shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. It finally got to the point where it was too much for him to bear. "What?!"

"Nothing. Never mind." Some of them replied, turning back around.

_It's going to be a long day. I can feel it._

* * *

"This is the spot, Captain." The team gathered around Chris.

"Alright. John and Rick, I want you to scope out the surrounding area. Corrie and Piers, you two head into the sewers. See what you can find. Me and Carlos are going to gather more information about the B.O.W. sightings. Everyone report back in thirty." They all separated into their teams of two, leaving the others to go start on their current task. Piers and his new partner, Corrie, headed to the nearest manhole cover. They made their way into the depths of the city, grumbling and complaining to themselves all the while.

"It smells like shit." Corrie closed his eyes and made a gagging noise. His eyes were watering from the stench.

"Well, we're in a sewer. I wonder why." Piers said in annoyance. Corrie just laughed off his comment.

"Touche." They continued walking, making conversation occasionally. For the most part, everything was nice and quiet. "This mission might be easier than anticipated. Doesn't seem to be anything unusual down here." Corrie's words echoed off the walls.

"How do you know that?" Piers had been on edge the whole time.

"Normally, we would have found something by now. A secret lab or some giant, mutated creature, but nothing so far." Corrie was walking with a spring in his step, glad to have what he thought was an easy mission.

Piers let him walk a few steps ahead of him, still on alert regardless. He could tell something was wrong, and his intuition was right. They came to a dead end, a construction worker's body lying mangled and mutated on the ground. "Chris. Bad news. We found a body down here. Looks like some sort of construction worker."

"Ok. We're on our way." Chris said from the other line. Piers had just enough time to look up from the ground to dodge the enormous mass that came at him. Corrie wasn't so lucky, being struck and thrown against one of the walls.

"Corrie!" Piers skillfully dodged another attack from what he guessed was the thing that had killed the construction worker. He made his way to Corrie's side, lifting him up and carrying him to what he hoped to be safety. "Chris! This is Piers. We've encountered enemy personnel. Corrie has been injured and is unconscious. Requesting immediate aid." He tried his hardest to sound calm and collective, but that was easier said than done.

"Piers, we're on our way. We're trying to get to you as fast as we can." Chris had traces of stress in his voice.

Piers held out for as long as he could, firing at the monster to slow it down. The words Chris had told him kept repeating themselves in his mind. _**"Remember, your not a one man army. We're all a team. Regardless of how good you are, you are not expendable. None of us are."** _Those words gave him hope and strength in the time he needed it most. "They're coming for us. They'll be here." He reached a point where he had to set Corrie against a wall, fending off the creature as best he could. Just when he thought it was over for them, backup arrived. Chris and the others were moving in, shooting the creature in it's knees.

"Captain!" Piers could barely see his face in the dim light.

"PIERS! GET DOWN!" He didn't have enough time to comprehend his words, before he was thrown across the room, hitting the wall with bone crushing force. He wasn't the only one who had backup. The world faded to black and the last thing Piers heard was the sound of gun fire and Chris yelling out his name.


	8. Chapter 8: Guardian Angel

The strong smell of antibiotics burned Piers's nose, jolting him awake. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright lights over his head. _Where am I?_ He was laying on a bed, monitor screens attached to him, reveling his vital signs. He tried to get up and move, but was held down by something. Even though his neck was stiff, he still managed to raise his head, uncovering a very tired Redfield. She had fallen asleep while keeping watch over him.

"Claire?" His voice sounded hoarse and weak. Her eye fluttered, refusing to open completely due to lack of sleep. She rubbed her eyelids and yawned.

"Piers? Good to see that you finally decided to get up. You wouldn't believe how worried everyone's been." She stretched out as she spoke.

"Everyone? What happened?" He was still trying to piece together everything. Claire took his hand in her's, doing her best to set his mind at ease.

"I'll let Chris fill you in." She sat with him for a while longer, carrying on a normal conversation about her work. She stopped and got up when they both heard Chris's voice in the hallway. "I just want to let you know, I'm really glad you're okay." She stood there staring at the ground. He flashed her a bright smile, laughing slightly.

"Thanks. I'm kinda glad you were the first thing I saw when I woke up. You're very soft on the eyes." He expected her to blush or laugh, but she didn't. She kept switching her gaze from the ground to him, with a somber look on her face.

"Get better, Piers." She spoke before leaving the room. Immediately after she was gone, Chris appeared.

"Piers! Good to see you're awake." He grabbed the chair his sister was sitting in previously.

"How long have I been out? How's Corrie? What happened in New York?" His questions were coming out like rapid fire. He was getting so worked up, that his monitors started beeping, showing an increase in his heart rate.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chill out. Don't over exert yourself. I can't answer all of your questions at once." Piers took a deep breath, bringing his heart rate back to normal. "I'm proud of you, you know. You saved Corrie's life. You fought to keep him safe instead of running off, leaving him to die. Not all men could say the same." He rested a hand on his shoulder. "Now, about his condition. He's awake, but still on bed rest. He fractured his skull. Broke his right leg, as well as, a couple of his ribs. The doctor said he just needs rest at this point. He can return to active duty in a few weeks. As for you," Piers felt all of Chris's attention shift to him. "You should be singing hallelujah. All you have a few cracked ribs and some cuts and bruises. They said it was ok for you to come back next week, but you have to take it easy during practice. It's okay though. The team will get you both back to normal in no time." Piers waved away his comments.

"I get it, but you didn't answer the question of how long I was out." Chris chewed on his lip, calculating the days up in his mind.

"Let's see. Today's Sunday, so about... three days." Piers shot up in his bed, instantly regretting it. He winced in pain. Chris sat up straight; hovering over him, concerned. "Hey, take it easy. The more you move around, the harder it's going to be for you to heal." He grabbed his side, lowering himself back down to lay on the bed gently.

"What happened with the mission? Did you ever find out where those creatures came from?" He asked Chris, waiting on the answers.

"After you were injured, John stayed behind to patch you and Corrie up. While he waited with you two for reinforcements, the rest of the team and I ventured into another part of the sewer. We found an underground facility that was crawling with all sorts of monsters. Of course, we managed to shut it down without anymore injures. The mission was a success, and the higher ups praised you for putting your life on the line for another. That's not an easy thing to accomplish on a first mission. I've been at this for years, and I've only gotten recognition for my mission in Africa." He wallowed in self pity for a moment, before Piers entered his input.

"I think they know how good you are; they just don't want it to go to your head." Chris rolled his eyes at him.

"Smart ass. No one asked for your opinion." They joked around with each other until a nurse came in to check on them.

"Five minutes until visitor hours are over." She warned them while tended to Piers. She looked around the room, clearly disappointed. "Did Ms. Redfield leave?" Chris nodded, causing the nurse to look even more discontent. "That's a shame." She directed her attention to Piers. "You have one amazing girlfriend. She's been here since you were admitted. Refused to leave your side until you woke up." She smiled at him before leaving to tend to her other patiences.

"She was here the whole time?" Chris seemed reluctant to answer.

"Yea.. She was really worried. Didn't even go home to sleep. I had to bring her food too. She just sat and talked to you like a lovesick puppy." He shook his head, thinking about how torn up his sister had been. "Well, I better get going. Don't want to piss off the faculty here again." Chris could see the question forming on Piers's lips and decided to cut him off. "Don't ask." He waved his hand in front of his face as if dismissing the whole potential conversation. "Goodnight, Piers." Chris closed the door behind him, leaving Piers alone in his empty hospital room.


	9. Chapter 9: Story of a Broken Heart

Claire was sitting on her couch, relaxing and ready to enjoy her Friday night rituals. Mindless TV shows and junk food sounded perfect to her after the week she had. Just before getting up to gather said junk food, the doorbell rang. She jolted up from where she was sitting, made her way to the door, then looked through the pep hole. Piers was standing there, still bruised from his mission in New York. She opened the door and invited him inside. "Hi. I wasn't expecting company. What can I do for you?" She was taken off guard by his unannounced visit. He smiled and shook his head at her.

"It's not what you can do for me, it's what I can do for you." He held up a Redbox movie. "I owe you for being my own personal body guard while I was in the hospital. I heard you never left my side." Again, he waited for her to smile or laugh, but she didn't. He could tell something was off. "Need someone to talk to?" She thought about it, but ended up shaking her head no.

"I don't want to bring you into my problems." She stared at the ground, blankly. He shrugged it off, not wanting her to reminisce on any of her painful memories. Instead, he put the movie into her DVD player, going to her kitchen to grab some snacks. When he got back, she was curled up on the couch with a blanket over her. "What kind of genre is it?" She looked up at him, questioningly.

"Romantic comedy I think. You struck me as the type who likes those kinds of movies." Immediately, there was a change in the atmosphere. Claire's face turned an off shade of white. "What? What's wrong?" Piers was on full alert.

"Sorry. It's just so close to the anniversary.." Claire trailed off with a sad tone in her voice.

"What anniversary?" He was beyond confused at this point. "I can tell something's bothering you. What's on your mind?" She looked up at him with a painful expression.

"Have you ever been in love?" The question seemed out of place, but he answered anyway.

"Yes. Everyone has the one that got away, right?" He attempted to lighten the mood a little.

"I was in love once. His name was Steve." She stared off for a moment, recalling the past events. "After Raccoon City, I left Sherry in Leon's care and went to go find my brother. I got a lead that he was being held captive at an Umbrella facility in Paris. Really, that was just a decoy, and they captured me. I woke up in a cell on Rockfort Island and managed to escape, only to find out the island was overrun with infected prisoners. In the midst of all that, I met a boy by the name Steve Burnside. I'll spare you the details. Just know that after what seemed like forever, me and my brother were reunited, and Steve died saving my life." Exhaustion swept over Claire after she was through spilling out her guts. She laid her head on Piers's shoulder, closing her eyes. There was an almost calming silence between them while Piers thought of something to say.

"So, the anniversary of his death is soon?" He guessed that was what she meant.

"Yea. It's tomorrow." Her voice was soft and quiet. He had to strain a little to hear her. After a while, Claire sat up, obviously wanting to talk more about it. It was the first time in years she had someone to just sit and talk to. "After Steve, I tried to move on. It was a total disaster. I went on a few dates, but all of them ended in failure. I gave up, and started devoting all of my time to my work. For one of our cases, Terra Save and the US government had to work side by side to help aid B.S.A.A. troops in South America. That was the first time Leon and I had met since Raccoon City. We talked for a while, about where are lives had led us. That ended up with a very drunk night spent together, if you know what I mean. When we woke up the next day, we decided to take things from there. He was the closest thing I had to love since Steve. We dated for about two years. It ended when he saw an old love of his. He thought she had perished, but really, she was alive and well. They crossed paths while he was on a mission to recover the president's kidnapped daughter. When he got back, he just seemed so lost. I made it easy on him, and cut all ties. Haven't seen him since." Her eyes watered, remembering all the past heartbreak she had endured. Piers tried to comfort her the best he could, pulling her close to him.

"I understand how you feel." Claire jerked away for him so he could get a good look at her face. Her expression was in between doubt, and what looked like disgust. "I meant sort of. I sort of know how you feel." He just barely managed to save himself. She took a long and deep breath, giving her lungs a chance to expand. Her heart to heart with Piers had completely drained her, to the point that she didn't even notice the movie had started. The space that was between them quickly vanished when Claire snuggled up closer to Piers and laid her head on his chest. Her eyes lids felt heavy, but she was determined to stay awake to watch the whole movie. Unfortunately, it was in vain. Halfway through, sleep over came her. Piers was trying to decide whether or not to wake her, but thought it was a good idea to let her sleep when he noticed how vulnerable she looked. As the movie reached it's end, he got up, very slowly, and laid her down on the couch gently. He grabbed the blanked and pulled it over her.

"Goodnight, Claire." He said as he got his things. He couldn't help but wander to himself, as he was leaving, how she managed to stay strong through all of her experiences. Even sometimes, the Captain had to sit down due to shell shock. _Well, she is one hell of a woman, I'll give her that._ He thought as he gave her one last look before heading home.


	10. Chapter 10: Christmas Special!

**Author's note: Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday! Here's a present for all of you, so enjoy!**

* * *

"So, I'm going to guess you didn't get the memo." Claire shook her head slightly, not taking her eyes off the road ahead. "Jill's invitation specifically said to wear festive clothing." She had been harping on the subject for the last ten minutes. The fact that Piers looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine, while Claire looked like a snowman threw up all over her, rubbed her the wrong way. He had on a nice pair of blue jeans as well as a black dress shirt, with the cuffs flared out. Claire, on the other hand, was wearing a red dress with white fluff attached to the bottom. "You just had to dress up and make me look hideous." She mumbled at him. He turned his head and looked over her attire.

"I think you look like a sexy version of Mrs. Claus. It kinda turns me on." He could see her face turn red from the lights of a passing car. He grinned triumphantly to himself, knowing that in the next few hours, he was going to make her life difficult. "So, what's the plan?" It took some time for Claire to get a grip on herself, but she was finally able to respond.

"I guess just make it through the party. I say, take things as they come." They continued to exchange conversation with each other, when they arrived at Jill's. Chris, with Jill on his arm, was waiting there to greet them.

"Hey, you two! Come on in. The other's are already here." He pulled them inside to join the others. Most of the people there were already engaged in other activities, to much so to notice the new arrivals. "Now that everyone's here, who wants to play dirty Santa?" Chris had a way of drawing everyone's attention to him. He pulled out the presents and started passing them out. When he handed the last one to Claire, the atmosphere became tense. "Ok! Everyone trade up!" The room instantly became utter chaos. There were presents and people flying everywhere. When everything became calm, people opened their winnings.

"Ooo! I got a Bath and Bodywork's gift card!" Claire happily announced her prize. She turned to Piers, surprised by the confusion he was obviously trying to hide. "What did you get?" He was speechless for a moment, turning his head slowly to glare at her. She shifted around, wondering what she said wrong.

"... I got these." He pulled out a pair of fuzzy handcuffs and a leopard print thong. Claire couldn't help but bust out laughing, drawing the room's attention to Piers's gifts. Suddenly, everyone was laughing, causing Piers to blush deeply.

"I'm so sorry, man. I was sort of hoping Chris would get my gift." A man, with the name 'Billy' printed on the arm of his jacket, announced. Rebecca was sitting right beside him, shaking her head in discontent. Just before things got even more awkward, Jill walked in from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of eggnog.

"Who wants some spiked eggnog?" All the renowned drinkers in the room instantly formed a line to the punch bowl.

"You don't want any?" Piers asked when he noticed Claire didn't get up to get in line.

"I don't drink. Anyway, I'm the designated driver. Duh." She proclaimed as if it were common sense. She smiled, but it quickly faded as she watched her brother grab a glass. Her knowledge of his alcoholic background told her to keep an eye on him. After he picked up his fifth glass, she intervened. "That's enough, Chris." She reached for his glass, but he pulled it away.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you." He slurred his words as he tried to put it up to his lips. Claire intercepted it.

"You've had enough." She said her words more forcefully the second time. Chris didn't take that to well.

"I said I'm fine, dammit!" The were having a full tug-of-war over the cup of eggnog now.

"No, your not! I wish you wouldn't be so complicated!" She was practically screaming at him. There were people ready to get in between them if things got to ugly.

"And I wish you weren't my over protective sister, but we can't all get what we want, huh?" His words lashed out at her. She let go of the cup, causing Chris to stumble backwards a little. Before anyone had the chance to say anything, Claire was already on the back porch, getting some air. While Jill was yelling at and lecturing Chris, Piers followed after Claire.

"He didn't mean what he said. You know that. " He came up behind her, but she continued to face away from him.

"I know, I know. He is my brother after all. I just wish he didn't have to be this way. I know it's hard for him and all, but he's not the only one that's hurting. You don't see me getting shit faced around old friends of mine. Well, I guess I have always been the responsible one though. He's a good man, I just wish he would act like it sometimes. You can imagine how bad it was when he thought Jill was M.I.A. He just about drank himself to death. I'm surprised his liver hasn't failed yet." In the middle of her rant, she turned around. The snow started falling around them, lifting Claire's spirit a little. A thudding noise came from above them, challenging them to both look up. At that moment, they both simultaneously looked up and noticed a mistletoe above them. While Claire's thought process was still on the mistletoe, Piers took her face in his hands, leading her lips up to his. He kissed her softly and gently, leaving her with an inner warmth that out matched the cold weather. He pulled her in and hugged her, burring his face in her neck.

"Merry Christmas, Claire." He spoke softly in her ear. She felt her cheeks turn hot as he released her. She bit her lower lip, trying to decide how to respond. In the end, she responded with another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. When she finally pulled back, she looked overly satisfied.

"Merry Christmas, Piers."


	11. Chapter 11: New Day Dawning

**Author's note: Happy New Year! My new years resolution? To make more fan fiction! :3**

* * *

Claire jolted awake in her bed. Her face was plastered in cold sweat as she looked around her dark room, frightened. She calmed down when she noticed her familiar surroundings. Clutching her pillow, she tried to close her eyes and return to her dreams, but was unsuccessful. She watched her clock as it changed from three fifty-nine, to four. Mornings didn't usually start for her until eight. During her groggy stage, she continued to toss and turn. Every time she shut her eyes, her nightmares kept creeping back. In the end, after twenty minutes of frustration, she stretched and pulled herself out of bed. She turned on her TV as she headed toward the fridge to cook up some breakfast. As she pulled out some eggs and milk, something caught her attention. A commercial for a movie called 'Shaun of the Dead' played on the TV. A movie about how people would react to the undead taking over? Not only that, but it was now in HD. Apparently people thought the idea of a zombie apocalypse was humorous.

"You have got to be kidding me. What? Are the undead just a joke now?" She felt stupid complaining to herself. It's not like the rest of the world knew the real danger of zombies. They couldn't help their ignorance.

After enjoying a very early morning breakfast while watching the news, she went straight to work on her computer. Procrastination lead her to fall behind on her work, so she took her new found time to catch up. Completing page after page, she finally finished her report on the New York mission. Since the information was passed from Terra Save to the B.S.A.A, a document had to be written and filed, detailing the exact events. Chris had so kindly told her everything while she was by Piers's side in the hospital. All she had to do was type it up.

Feeling the sense of accomplishment, she opened her email. One unread message sat in her inbox. Her informant, Brokenbutterfly19, had sent her some very interesting information. A politician, by the name of Roger Hichmon, was somehow connected to the incident in New York. He was apperently working with the T-virus, preforming gruesome experiments on children. His goal: that was her job to figure it out. _Pssh. Typical. _Claire finished reading, copying and sending the data to Terra Save's main headquarters. Within a matter of minutes, they replied back to her. Much to her surprise, they sent her an invitation. It was for a formal gathering for some extremely important guests. The list of people invited ranged from celebrities to the president himself. Hichmon was among them.

The directions were simple: go to the party and get Hichmon to spill his guts. Easier said than done. Most politicians were crocked, regardless. The one's that had some serious dirt to hide, they normally took their secrets to their graves. Claire sat there and thought through the many different approaches she could take to make him squeal. She decided on the seductive one. She made a check list in her head, making sure to think of every single detail. Her main concern; an appropriate outfit. She made a beeline for her room, throwing open her dresser drawers.

"Hmm. Now, what should I ware?" Her indecisiveness lasted all of two seconds when she spotted a very sexy and short emerald green cocktail dress hanging nice and pretty in the back of her closet. It had a look of sophistication and sex appeal all wrapped up in one. It was the perfect tool for the job.

* * *

**_Your name has been added to the list of high class people they are allowing into the party. You'll be representing the best of Terra Save. Your mission is to go in, record all the information Hichmon has to offer, and get out. Try not to draw attention to yourself. Even if he is a suspect, he still has influence among some of the guest. Try to settle things in a non-violent way. HQ out._  
**

Well, at least her orders were straight forward. They had a way of being vague when giving orders. That had lead Claire into some very.. _interesting _situations.

"Name please, Miss?" A man was standing in front of the building, holding a fancy clipboard with every guest's name on it. The man seemed very distracted by Claire, which told her she was off to a good start.

"Redfield." She answered in a seductive tone. The man seemed to shiver slightly as he looked down the list.

"Aah. Their you are Miss Redfield. Please, go on ahead and enjoy." He eagerly opened the door for her. As she made her way inside, she was immediately flagged down. A tall man with slicked back brown hair shook her hand. Claire was taken aback by the abrupt greeting. The man chose to clarify the situation.

"I'm sorry to call you out. I'm the Chief of Security, Derek Simmons. I was wondering if you could lend me a hand. It's something that requires a woman's touch." Claire gave him a questioning look. Derek smiled at her, pulling something out of his pocket. "It's for a companion of mine. She's very special so I wanted to get her something just as special." He showed her a makeup compact with a tiny butterfly and the initials AW printed on it. To Claire, it was extravagance in itself.

"I think it's beautiful. I'm sure she'll love it." His face lit up at her response. He nodded to her, grateful for her help, as he walked away to join his colleges. Claire went off in the opposite direction, scanning the crowds of people for her target. It was in vain, because he was the one that found her.

"Excuse me." He approached her. _Show time. _"I was wondering if you came alone looking like that." She pretended to be interested, swallowing down her disgust. "Would you care to go somewhere more private?" She widened her eyes and bit her lip playfully. He took that as a yes, leading her to an unoccupied room. She immediately went to work, teasing him. After their cat and mouse play, Claire initiated her objective.

"So, are you a bad boy?" She tried to be as sexy as possible, but it was hard for her when she had to choke out her words. "Word on the street is, your building some sort of army." He stopped what he was doing, accusing her with his eyes.

"Who do you work for?" He was getting ready to attack her, if necessary.

"No one. I'm just all about information you see. I'm the type that wants to watch this world burn, kinda like you. See? We have something in common." She took that moment to press record on her phone, waiting to get his confession.

"So, your interested in helping me, huh? Very well. I'll fill you in on my master plan. I'm going to build my army of mindless creatures who serve my every whim, over throw the government, and sit on a throne made for a king all while the rest of the world burns around me. Power my dear. Power is what I seek. Many men have tried to attain such power, but they have failed. I will be different from them. I **_will_ **achieve my ultimate goal! I will be the new ruler of the world!" By that point, Claire had heard enough. She quickly stabbed him in the neck with a tranquilizer, watching him fall to the floor.

"Thanks for your cooperation. My work here is done." She pressed the stop button on her phone, playing back the recording. _Wow. What an idiot._ She really couldn't believe he trusted her so easily. If anything, she thought she would have had to fight the information out of him. _I would have loved to beat the crap out of that creep._ She made her way out of the room, jamming the door closed behind her. Before she had the chance to reach her exit, someone caught her attention. A man with dirty blond hair was standing over by the president, obviously there to protect him. "Leon?" She stood there staring at him, unable to think of anything else to do at the time. It had been a while since the last time she had laid eyes on him. The last time she had seen him was at Harvardville, and their goodbye had not been the one she had wanted. While she was muttering over her memories, he had taken notice of her. Their eyes met, giving Claire an adrenaline rush. She managed to think through her escape, leaving him behind to push through the crowd in pursuit. She made it to her car, leaving the evening events behind as she drove away.


	12. Chapter 12: Foiled Plans

**Author's note: If you don't like my fan fiction, no one said you had to read it. I think Claire and Piers are a good pairing, but that's my opinion. For those of you that don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. For those who do, thank you for your encouragement. :D *Sorry for the rant and for the really, really, really long wait. I got so busy and things sort of took priority.***

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"How exactly did we find this out?" The roar of the helicopter drowned out Piers's words. He was sitting right across from Chris, interrogating him about their current mission. All Chris could do was shrug in response.

"I don't know. HQ refuses to give us that information." His voice was muffled as well, causing Piers to miss most of what he was saying. A few rays of sunlight were braking through the darkness, announcing that morning was coming. The light bounced off the metal of the cockpit, shining strange patterns on some of the members of Alpha team, highlighting some their features that were normally hard to see. Piers noticed the bags under Chris's eyes, telling him that the Captain had stayed up late last night looking over the information about their current mission. "How we got it isn't important. We just need to stay focused." He had a distinct sternness in his tone. The day before, HQ had given Chris the testimony of a politician named Hitchmon. The mission was top priority and had to be carried out as soon as possible, even if that meant leaving before the crack of dawn. Now, Alpha team was following orders to take down his main experimental lab.

"Understood, Captain." Piers knew not to over step his boundaries. He could tell that the mission had Chris on edge. The rest of the time, everyone conversed amongst themselves. They all tried to hide their distress, regardless of how obvious it was.

"We're nearing the drop zone." The pilot warned the team to make sure they were prepared. Moments later, the chopper landed. The team filed onto the helipad, on full alert. The last one to get off signaled the 'ok' for the pilot to leave and await further orders. After they checked to make sure the surrounding area was clear, Chris lead them down a flight of stairs, to the first door.

"Everyone, be on guard. We don't know what's in there. Piers, I want you up front with me. You'll be my sniper. Everyone else, you know your position." They nodded in compliance and quickly got into formation, following Chris as he lead them inside.

They entered into a long and dim hallway; the walls were bloody with signs of a struggle. The tension in the air increased noticeably, especially when they came to a split in the direction of the hallway. "Which way, Captain?" Chris looked at his team, coming to only one conclusion.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to separate into two teams. John, I want you to take half of the men and go right. The rest of us will go left." John looked at Chris, uncertain, but followed his orders. When he gathered his half of the men, Chris put his hand on his shoulder. "Keep them safe. I know they'll be fine with you." His words of encouragement gave John the boost he needed.

"Will do, Captain." He saluted him before heading in the opposite direction. Chris smiled after him, then turned around and lead the rest of his team to the left. They cautiously made their way around corners, checking each and every time to see if the coast was clear.

"It's quiet."

"Yea. To quiet." As if on cue, a loud thud emitted from a room up ahead. Everyone instinctively jumped, raising their guns for protection. Chris put a finger to his lips and signaled for the men to check it out. Slowly and quietly, they all surrounded the door. Chris took point, taking a deep breath, then kicking the door in. The room was pitch black with the exception of the light from a computer screen. Right as Chris took his first step into the room, a shadow passed in front of the light, causing him to freeze where he stood. A growling noise came from the dark abyss, alerting the team to the unknown presence. In a moment of genus, Piers switched to a heat sensing scope, then scanned the room.

"There are five, Captain." Piers whispered to Chris, keeping his eye on the creatures.

"Good work. Now, lets lure them into the hallway and take them out." He whispered back to them. The creatures seemed to catch what they were saying. They lunged at Chris, but were taken down before they had a chance to touch him. Five perfect shots all sounded simultaneously, protecting the Captain from the beasts. Chris flashed them a thumbs up, then proceeded to search for a light switch. The moment the lights came on, a gruesome scene became visible, turning the stomachs of the team members.

"Oh my god." Piers was new to seeing such things. He tried his hardest to let it all soak in, telling himself to toughen up as he nosed around the rest of the room. Mangled bodies, covered in dried up blood, were strewn across the floor, making it difficult for anyone to maneuver around. Piers couldn't get the images of their distorted faces out of his head. Each one was twisted in pain; frozen eternally with such expressions. Even Chris was having a hard time swallowing the fact that they had all met an untimely death. The Captain was more experienced though, putting his feelings aside and continuing on with the mission. He made his way over to the computer, hoping it could provide him with an explication of what had gone on there. His face froze the moment he logged into the home screen. "Captain, what is it?" Piers rushed to his side, shocked to see a document titled 'Redfield background'.

"Why the hell does this guy have a document with my last name on it?" He opened it, surprised to see a picture of his sister staring back at him. As Chris read, Piers did so as well, over his shoulder. The page contained Claire's entire history, starting with the events in Raccoon City. At the bottom of the document was a note warning all employees under Hitchmon's command to keep watch over her.

_Claire, what the hell did you do to get on this guy's shit list?_


	13. Chapter 13: Never Leave a Man Behind

**Author's note: Thank you all for the words of encouragement. You don't know how much it means to me. I hope to keep meeting everyone's expectations. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

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Not much to anyone's surprise, Claire's file wasn't the only thing on the computer. After much digging and frustration, Chris happened upon Hitchmon's true master plan. His target; Korea. Apperently, he had come across some intel that the relationship between the Koreas was unstable. If a war were to break out, Hitchmon would be able to divert everyone's attention away from him as he smuggled in money, weapons and other "resources". With the government preoccupied, he would build his army, then strike. After everyone in his way had been dealt with, he would rule.

"Sounds like the vision of a mad man." Piers stated as he continued reading on. Chris shook his head in agreement.

"Well, we have the why. Now all we need is the how." Ever since Chris had come across the plans, he had been wondering just how Hitchmon was going to execute them. The more he read, the clearer it all became. "Why is it always a damn missile?" Chris thought out loud to himself.

"Captain?" Piers only heard half of what he was saying.

"A missile. The dumb ass is planning on firing it right on the boarder between North and South Korea! I guess he wants them to blame each other and start fighting amongst themselves." He sat there, wondering how exactly to go about this, when an alarm sounded. The red lights on the walls started spinning and flashing as a voice echoed through the building.

_"Lift off and eradication will commence shortly. Manual deactivation required. All personnel evacuate immediately." _The computerized voice repeated the phrases a few more times, before it announced the fifteen minute warning prior to take off, as well as the destruction of the lab.

Chris knew he had to do something, and fast. "John, what's your status?" For a moment, his only response was radio static, but then John's voice broke through.

"We were ambushed. A few of the men were hurt, but overall we're good Captain."

"What's your current position? Are you close to anything that looks like a launch pad or a missile bunker?" His sense of urgency transferred over into his voice. Again, Chris was greeted by the static from the other end.

"I don't know. We went past a room earlier, but is was bolted shut. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you looking for?" John seemed slightly confused by the change in Chris's tone.

"I don't have enough time to give you all the details. Just know that in about fifteen minutes, we might all be in some serious shit."

"What? I don't.." Before John had the chance to ask any questions, Chris was giving orders to look for a way to shut everything down.

"John, I need you and your men at that door you were talking about. We'll try to get it open from our end. When we do, you have to do whatever is necessary to stop anything in there from leaving this facility." There was silence between them as they both processed all of their options and outcomes.

"You got it, Captain. Oh, and don't worry. You can count on us." Chris allowed a smile to break through his glum features. John's words gave him something to hold on to, even among all the chaos. He took a deep breath, letting it all sink in completely. He knew what he had to do, and that he had to do it now. Him and the rest of his team quickly made their way down each hall, looking for the control room. _  
_

Piers was the first to notice that there were shadows stalking them. "Chris, I think we're being followed." He whispered to him. As they both looked back, the shadows dispersed. Chris narrowed his eyes, not hesitating to think of his tactic.

"Piers, take Jason and go ahead of us. We'll deal with these guys. You concentrate on following this mission all the way through. I'm counting on you." He put his hand on Pier's shoulder, stressing the importance of their success. Piers nodded to him, grabbing Jason away from the rest of the group. Before they departed, Piers turned around and saluted Chris. In response, he saluted back, showing him how much he respected and trusted him. The sound of gunfire pulled them out of their strong bonding moment and into reality. Chris pulled out his gun and joined the rest of his team, while Piers lead Jason deeper into the facility.

Out of stroke of good luck, they eventually found the control room. "How much time do we have left?" Piers looked at his watch, not happy with the answer to Jason's question.

"Not long. Only five minutes." They both let out a collective sigh, turning their full attention to the monitors.

"Look. It's John and his team." They were standing in front of a huge door, waiting for it to open. Jason immediately searched the control panel for anything that could help them. After pressing a few buttons, the door on the screen flew open; allowing them entrance.

"Good job. Now, is there anything else we can do to help?" Jason shrugged, studying over each button and leaver carefully.

"Yes! I can stop the detonation from here!" He had an excited look in his eye, ecstatic that he could be so helpful. He pressed a few more buttons, typed in a code, then pulled one of the leavers. A message flashed across every monitor screen, stating that 'eradication was avoided'. The victory was short lived when they realized they still had another problem to take care of. "Shit. I can't stop the missile from here!"

"You've done plenty. It looks like John's got it anyway." On one of the screens, John was visible at another set of controls. Right as he successfully halted the launch and everyone let out a cheer of victory, John was attacked by a tyrant. The giant beast cut straight through John, tossing his corps aside to deal with the rest of his team. Both Piers and Jason stood there, unable to fathom what they had just witnessed. Within a matter of seconds, instinct took over. Piers shoot out of the room, Jason barely following behind him.

"Piers! Where are we going?" He thought about this for a second before answering him.

"To get back up. We never leave anyone behind."


	14. Chapter 14: The Simple Life

"How is he?" Claire was barely able to get enough breath to ask. She had run all the way to the hospital after receiving news that Chris had been admitted.

"He's fine. I'm more concerned about our other guys." Piers answered, well aware that some of his other team mates might not make it through the night. The thought of losing his new found friends was almost to much for him to bare. He sat there, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to forget the past twenty-four hours. From where she was standing, Claire could tell he was hurting. To sooth him, she took his hands in her's.

"There is nothing I can say to make your pain go away. Just know that if you need me, I'm right here." Her words helped set him at ease. To him, it was like the cloud of depression hanging over his head had dispersed, shedding rays of light on his situation. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'd like to know what happened. Who knows; it might even help you if you talk to someone." She squeezed his hands tighter, showing her support.

"We were so close. Just a few minutes from heading home, and..." Piers trailed off, unable to speak due to a lump in his throat. "By the time we got to them, the tyrant had already taken most of them out. Before we left, we had to get all the information we found back to HQ..." His sadness turned into suspicion when he remembered what Chris had found on the computer at that damned lab. "You. What did you have to do with all of this?" He mumbled out his words. Claire looked at him, confused.

"What?" She didn't catch anything he said. His suspicion had now turned into emotional rage.

"He had a file on you! It had all your information, right down to your blood type! So, I'm going to ask you again; what do you have to do with Hitchmon?" He was yelling at this point. Claire was shocked at the sudden turn in events. He had obviously misunderstood her position in all of this. Instead of throwing anger on top of anger, Claire replied in calm manner.

"Where do you think his confession came from? Do you really think he would turn himself in after all he has done?" She made sure to get her point across. She hated having him stare her down and accuse her of being associated with that psychopath. It's not that she could blame him though. He had no idea that the B.S.A.A got the majority of their intel from Terra Save. She had preferred to keep it that way, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Piers seemed lost, pondering over this new information.

"You're reckless. He was planning on hunting you down and making you his personal slave." He balled up his fist, fighting back down his anger and disgust. His feelings for Claire had developed far beyond what he could comprehend, causing panic and jealousy to over come him. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just... I'm worried about you." She let out a sigh, followed by an extremely long rant about how she could take care of herself. The entire time she was chewing him out, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I'm sorry, alright? I should have covered my ass better, but I got taken off guard." The image of Leon in her rear view mirror, flashed through her mind. She winced, turning away from Piers so he couldn't see her face. Her phone went off, giving her the perfect excuse to leave. "Well, I have things I need to go take care of. Tell my brother to call me when he can." Quickly, she walked away, pulling out her phone to answer it. Piers stood where he was, watching her until she disappeared down one of the hallways.

"Piers!" Chris's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Captain. Good to see you. You just missed your sister." He pointed in the direction she had gone in. "She was coming to see how you were."

"Yea, I know." Piers looked at him, his eyebrow raised.

"So, just how long were you standing there?" Chris smiled maliciously.

"The whole time. I was waiting for you to make a move, Romeo." He smiled again, this time more sincere. Piers smiled back then yawned. "You must be tired. Why don't you go home for the day? We can talk on the way to your car." He nodded, putting up no protest to the offer. They both made there way to the parking lot, bogged down in a serious conversation. After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination, continuing on with their talk.

"How do you really feel about my sister?" The sudden change in subject threw Piers off. He dropped his eyes to the floor, avoiding Chris's gaze. "I know you two were just humoring me when Claire told me you were dating. Even so, your display of affection back there was pretty convincing. I think you actually fell for her." He shot his head up, bringing his blushing face into full view.

"I-I don't know! I guess you could say I like her, but my feelings are all jumbled up." He rubbed the back of his neck, dropping his eye to the floor again. When Chris didn't respond to him, he slowly looked up. Chris's eyes were distant, making it clear that he was thinking about something painful in his past. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried it again.

"When I thought Jill died, I wanted to die with her. Everyday, I would think about all the things I never got to say to her. All the things we never got to do. It made me realize just how short and uncertain life is. That we can't waist any of our precious time being scared to tell others how we truly feel. Piers, if you have any sort of feelings for Claire, she deserves to know. Even if it's not love, she deserves to know that she has someone she can rely on." It seemed like Chris always had some major words of wisdom when he needed them the most. After taking time to think over his strategy, Piers smiled at Chris. He now had the confidence; the boost he needed to take his first step.

"What's her address?"


	15. Chapter 15: New Perspective

Claire sat at her desk, typing away on her latest report. She couldn't concentrate; thinking back to how abruptly she left the hospital. If she hadn't have gotten that phone call from HQ, she would have had to continue waiting there with the new tension between her and Piers. "Why does he have to be so difficult?" Her feelings were running haywire, leaving her to question which direction she should take. "I wish life wasn't so complicated..." Unfortunately that was a sentence that she tended to repeat over and over again. She sank down in her chair, depressed. "Ugh! I can't stand this!"

"Can't stand what?"A voice responded to her from behind the front door. Claire jumped in fright, but calmed down when she recognized who it was.

"Piers? What are you doing here?" She had made her way to the door, putting her back against it.

"I'm not here to yell at you or anything if that's what your thinking. I just wanted to see you." She stood there, unable to decided whether or not to allow him entry. After a few minutes of silence pasted, Piers spoke again. "Claire! Please, for the love of God let me in! It's pouring out here!"

"Oh!" She quickly opened the door, pulling Piers out of the downpour. "You could have said something sooner! I didn't know it was raining." Claire expected him to respond to her in anger, but instead he smiled at her, flashing his brilliant teeth at her.

"I'm glad you didn't leave me out there." As he spoke, he pulled her to him, locking her in an embrace. "I just wanted to see your face. I can't explain it well, but I just wanted to hold you. That's not weird, right?" He pulled her away to stare at her, trying to read her face. She turned away from him to hide the fact that she was blushing. Being so close to him made her heart race to the point where she thought it was going to jump right out of her chest. He asked her a question, but she didn't hear it. Her brain had seemed to stop working momentarily, causing all of her reactions to be delayed.

"What did you say?" She was completely bewildered by the whole situation, unable to get a grasp on what was reality. He laughed softly before repeating himself.

"I asked if I could get a towel. I don't like dripping water all over the floor." She looked down at the puddle that was starting to form where he was standing. A switch went off in her mind and without a word, she went straight to the bathroom to retrieve some towels. When she came back, dressed in a different pair of clothes, she began drying off the floor. Piers took the towel she handed him, drying himself off.

"Here, let me help." She took the towel from him, helping him dry off his hair. He grabbed her hands, gazing passionately into her eyes. Before Claire could do anything, Piers swept her into his arms, whispering in her ear.

"I want to show you all the things I want to do with you." He laid her on the couch, kissing her repeatedly. His hands moved up her sides and across her stomach, leaving behind a trail of heat from where his hands had touched her. He pulled back, stopping in the middle of what he was doing to look her dead in the eyes. "Why won't you give me a chance? I really do like you Claire." She could tell by the intensity in his eyes that he was telling the truth. She just shook her head, not even able to look him in the eyes.

"I'm just to old for you. I mean your like, what, in your early twenties? I'm thirty for crying out loud! There is an eight to nine year age difference between us!" She still refused to look at him even as she talked.

"I know it's a cliche thing to say, but age is just a number. I like you for you. The strong willed, smart, devious, seductive woman I met months ago. Our age difference means nothing." He gently brushed her cheeks with his hands, bringing her face up to his. "I want to know everything about you. I want you to confide in me and show me the sides of you that you wouldn't dare show anyone else. I want to be your best friend, your partner." He trailed off, his eyes looking distant. "If all your going to do is make excuses of why we can't date, then it seems I've wasted my time coming here." He got up, stepping over all the water he trailed in on his way to the door.

"Don't go. I want you to stay." She came up right behind him and held her had firmly on the door to block his exit. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? So you want me to spend the night?" He winked at her and smiled. He felt his playful nature surface.

"Yea, I kinda do. So? What of it?" Claire's sudden boldness surprised him. He turned around to face her, and was met with a forceful kiss. She pushed him against the door, trapping him, making it impossible for him to escape.

"I never said I didn't want to date you. I just wanted you to know all your options before you decided it was a good idea to ask me out."

"Noted. So then what do you say? Do you want to date me?" They both sat there, locked in a stare down. It lasted for what seemed like forever. After a while, he could tell that she was just purposely prolonging his anxiety.

"Yes, I think I will take you up on your offer." She smiled at him warmly. In reply, he kissed her gently, moving his lips slowly across hers. He bit playfully at her lip, pulling away for her to smile.

"That's the answer I was hoping for. I just want to warn you ahead of time, your not going to get any sleep tonight."


	16. Chapter 16: Let Love In

**Author's note: Happy really late Valentines Day! I was so going to post this Thursday, but I was sick and decided to sleep instead. Sorry. It's been a LONG week. Anyway, I love you all! :D**

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Sunlight was flooding in from the windows of Claire's apartment. The chirping of the birds outside woke Claire, giving her the perfect start to her day. The fact that Piers was laying next to her, his face looking almost child like as he slept, didn't hurt either. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, pulling the covers over his shirtless torso, then made her way to the kitchen to cook them both breakfast.

She had just finished cooking the bacon, and by the time the eggs were on the frying pan, Piers stumbled out of the bedroom. "Hey, you." He smiled at her lovingly, pulling his arms around her stomach. She couldn't help but giggle, turning around to stare into his eyes. They kissed each other before Piers took a seat opposite of her.

"How do you like your eggs?" She asked, slightly blushing as he watched her.

"I'm not particularly picky. However you usually make them is fine." He didn't take his eyes off her as he spoke.

"Okay then. Scrambled it is." She worked her magic, and within a few minutes, everything was done and ready to eat. Piers delicately took a bite of the food, unaware of Claire's culinary talent. Once he realized he had been wrong, he shoveled in the food, only stopping to savor the last bit of it.

"Damn. Your going to make a good wife someday." He pondered on that thought a moment longer before dismissing the idea from his head. "So, what are your plans for the day? I don't know your scheduled, but since it's Saturday, I'm free if you want to do something."

"Well, I was just going to sit around all day and watch Pride and Prejudice, but if you want to do something else, I'm all for it." The moment the words escaped her lips, Piers was on the floor laughing. It surprised her to see him in such a state.

"Was it something I said?" She stared at him in confusion, piecing everything together in her mind.

"I find it funny that even though you try to act tough, your still a girl. I mean, come on. Lifetime movies? Chick flicks? None of those scream 'I'm an expert zombie killer' to me." All she did was look at him, her eyebrow raised, to get him to shut up. He quickly took a sip of his coffee. _I was just saying._

"I can't help it.. I liked those things before, and I take comfort in them now." Piers could tell she was lost in her memories by the distant look in her eyes. He did his best to bring her out of it.

"I'll watch it with you if you want. I don't mind a good romance movie every now and again." He didn't understand just what he volunteered for until it was too late. After Claire had cleaned up and put the movie on, she snuggled next to him on the couch.

"What exactly do you like about me?" She asked out of nowhere as the opening scene unfolded.

"Hmmm. Do you mean personality wise or look wise?" There was tension in the air as he realized he had said the wrong thing. He decided to answer for both questions to be on the safe side. "I like your strong will and your scene of humor. It's also a plus that you know how to fight. I always thought girls with guns were sexy. Now, look wise I could go all day on. Your eyes are the most amazing shade of blue and your lips are soft to the touch, but you have to remember, I am a guy. What I REALLY love is your ass. Sorry if that upsets you for me to say, but damn. You have the most perfect ass I've ever seen!" He stopped, hoping he didn't offend her. Much to his surprise, she was smiling.

"Yea. I know. I've been told before I have a great ass. I take pride in it." She settled on the couch, laying her head on Piers's chest. They sat there, occasionally chatting about random things as the movie progressed. When it was over, Claire fell silent.

"What are you thinking about?" Piers knew it was a good idea to let her rant about what was on her mind.

"I was just thinking about when I was younger. Me and my mom use to bond over things like this." She trailed off. It took her a while to speak again. "They died when I was in middle school. A drunk driver crashed into them on their way home. It killed them both instantly." She took a deep breath, letting him know she wasn't done, then released it in the form of a sigh before continuing. "After that, Chris and I went to live with with our grandmother. She also left us when I was a freshman in high school. At that point, I was pretty much old enough to fend for myself. Chris took me in, but he eventually signed up for the military. He was hardly ever home, but when he was, he made sure to make up for lost time. He would come home and tell me about his experiences and such about military life. We would talk for hours on end about what each other had missed while we were apart. It was lonely at times, but when I went off to college, I really missed our late night talks. It's funny how we take the small things for granted." She paused again, letting out another sigh. "I remember the first time he told me about S.T.A.R.S and how they had offered him a job as their Point Man. He was indifferent about it, especially when he was told he would have a partner." It surprised Piers to hear Claire suddenly burst out in laughter. "You should have heard what he said when he first met Jill! He called me and was like 'How do they expect me to work with someone that cold hearted?' It's so weird to think of how they are now!" She continued to laugh, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Eventually, she calmed down, an almost bittersweet look now on her face.

"Thank you for that. I'm glad you could open up to me." Piers hugged her to him, kissing the top of her head. "Whenever you need someone to confide in, I'll be here. You don't have to carry your burdens alone anymore."


	17. Chapter 17: Help with Work

"I'm going whether you like it or not." Claire and Chris had been locked in a battle to the death for the last ten minutes; arguing about Claire's participation in the next mission. "I know you worry about me because I'm your sister, but I have to go. HQ's orders." She stood her ground, switching her gaze between her brother and Piers. They both sighed, forced to accept that they were going to lose this fight.

"Chris, it's useless. She's coming with us, regardless of how much we protest. She's just that hard-headed." Piers winked at her, letting her know she had his support. She beamed, glad that someone was on her side.

"You two, I swear." Chris pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke. The ringing in his head had now morphed into and intense throbbing, keeping him from having the will to continue their dispute. "Fine. I know good and well that your capable. Welcome to the team. Well, temporarily at least." After he gave his sister a hug, he left the room in search for any medicine that would dispel his headache. Now that Claire and Piers were alone, she could plead her case, hoping he would see why she so desperately wanted to go with them.

"I have a good friend from work who went missing investigating this case. The last time I heard from her, she sent me the information and was on the verge of uncovering something big. I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that she's still alive. I'm not that naive anymore, but I do want to know what she found out." She kept strong through her speech. After years of dealing with sadness, she knew exactly how to channel it into something productive. Piers wrapped his arms around her, giving her a sense of security. She closed her eyes, thankful that he was there to lean on.

"We'll do everything in our power to help you." He kissed the top of her head, spun her around, then traced his finger over the outline of her lips before kissing them softly.

"AWWWW!" They both jumped, pushing away from each other. A group of the guys from the team stood at the doorway, swooning over the romantic scene that had played out before them.

"Guys! What the hell?!" Piers tried to play off his embarrassment as anger, yelling at his comrades as they teased him.

"We just came to get you two. We're leaving shortly, so get your gear and meet us in ten." The guys filed out, making childish jokes as they did so.

"Sorry about them. They're like little kids." He rubbed the back of his head. "By the way, what exactly are the details for our mission?"

* * *

"Why the hell does it have to be in Alabama?" The men were getting restless, having been on the road for hours and hours on end. They had five armored vehicles consisting of the most elite that Alpha team has to offer. They had been extensively testing their communication headpieces, carrying on conversations with each other.

"Because, the town we're going to is secluded. Now, if you mean why specifically Alabama, I can't tell you that. Just remember that our target is a man by the name Kirk Land. He's a scientist with a vast military background. HQ has reason to believe that he took the residents of the town and preformed some kind of experiments on them. Unfortunately, we're going in their blind, so everyone be on your guard." Chris's voice interrupted their senseless chatter.

"How much longer, Captain?" Piers couldn't take sitting down for so long.

"About five minutes. We're almost their you guys." There were cheers in response to his good news. They were still in high spirits as they arrived to their destination. They passed a sign that read 'Garden City. Population: 492' By the time they reached the center of the ghost town, the team was ready to set foot on solid ground and stretch their sore joints. As everyone took a minute to recuperate, Chris typed feverishly on his computer, looking over every last piece of information about this place as he could. He could see Claire approaching him from the side mirror on the vehicle, rolling down the window with one hand while he used the other to continue typing.

"Come on, Chris. Take a moment to relax and stop overworking yourself." She pouted at him, sticking her lower lip out slightly.

"Better be careful. Your face might stick that way." He smiled, closing his computer and getting out of the car. As he stood face to face with her, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, thinking about how he had neglected her due to his busy schedule. He patted her head, remembering the days when they were all each other had in this world. "When we get back, let's do something together, just the two of us." Claire seemed taken aback at first, but nodded her head in agreement.

"That sounds great! I was thinking just the other day about how much I missed my hothead of a brother." She punched him in the arm playfully. After sharing their bonding moment, Chris rejoined his team to plan out their man hunt. As he divided his men into individual groups, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Apperently, Claire saw it too, because she stared hauling ass towards that direction.

"Claire, where are you going?" Chris yelled after her as she ran farther away from him.

"I saw a girl go this way!" Her words were barley audible as she bolted into a nearby alley. As he went to follow his sister, a familiar low groaning noise stopped him dead in his tracks. He knew he didn't have a lot of time to react, ordering his men to get off the streets fast. He knew that at any moment, the undead would come filing out and over take them. They found a building to take refuge in just as the first of the zombies made an appearance. As the last person entered, they bolted the door shut, making sure everyone was there before they planned their next move.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Piers looked around, panicking when he noticed that someone was missing.

"Captain, Claire's still out there!"


	18. Chapter 18: Partners

**Author's note: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile... A LOT has happened and I just didn't have the creative flow to continue writing... I really am truly sorry... Just, don't drink and drive, ok? My school found out the hard way of the fatal consequences that follow. R.I.P JW and GF. ****I dedicate this chapter to you two. You're always in my thoughts... - Enjoy**

* * *

_Which way did she go? _Claire had lost sight of the girl after being ambushed by a few of the infected. _I guess we know where all the townspeople went._ Her intuition told her she was still nearby, but so were they. The faster she found the little girl, the better.

With extreme caution, she proceeded forward, making sure to be completely aware of her surroundings. It was shocking to her how familiar this scenario had become. All she could hope for now was that her brother and his team were safe. What she really wanted was to go home with Piers and snuggle up on the couch once this was all over. "Yea right." She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, getting back to reality. Much to her discontent, reality sucked right now.

As she turned the corner, she heard the moans of the dead as a whole hoard of zombies greeted her. The moment she saw them, she stopped in her tracks, holding her breath as she slowly retreated back the way she came. She was almost home free, turning to move in the opposite direction of the danger, when she bumped into a trash can. It toppled over, making a loud racket as it did so. Claire grabbed her handgun from its holster, shooting the first zombie that lunged towards her. "Shit!" She knew that in a manner of seconds, she was going to be surrounded and greatly outnumbered . As adrenaline pumped through her veins, she emptied her clip, making a path through the middle of the hoard to make a break for it. Lucky for her, she escaped without injury, not slowing down to look back. She continued to run, passing more and more of the undead.

She finally stopped, slumping over to catch her breath. When she looked up, the little girl was there, standing just inside of a run down gas station. She knew better than to call out to her with the undead so close by. Instead, she followed her inside, being extra careful to step over the glass in front of the door. She decided it was too risky to try sliding through the door, and instead, went for a direct approach. She regretted it the instant she opened the door and a bell sounded.

The little girl squealed, running into the maze of stocked shelves. _Damn! _Claire only had a split second to react before a zombie was on top of her. She didn't have time to grab her gun as she fought him off, kicking him in the face to stagger him back. Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of the broken pieces of glass that laid beside her. With a grunt, she leapt to her feet, a glass shard in her hand. As the zombie charged forward, she sank the glass into his skull, spilling blood all over his uniform. He hit the floor, his name tag spelling out the name, Jesse, was now soaked in red. The twinge of guilt she felt for the boy reminded her that she was still human.

A scream woke her up to the world around her. The little girl was being backed into a corner, a dark mass closing in on her. Claire bolted across the store, gun now in hand. As the thing reach out to grab the girl, Claire raised her gun and fired. It limply fell forward on top of her. The girl shrieked, pushing at the corpse to free herself. Claire swore under her breath, racing over the assist the girl. "It's alright! He's dead. He's not going to hurt you, so you don't have to be afraid now." She grabbed the girl, pulling her out from under the now dead... undead. That was when Claire noticed there was something wrong. Terribly wrong. "Your eyes.." The girl looked up at her, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes with an unusual crimson ring around them. Her veins were extremely visible, pulsing dark purple blood through them. They rose up slightly beneath her skin, casting eerie shadows all along her face. A similar face flashed through Claire's mind. Sherry's face. This girl somehow reminded her of Sherry.

Busy comprehending what was sitting in front of her, Claire didn't hear the footsteps coming from behind her until it was too late. Putting a gun to the back of her head, the entity spoke. "Back away from the girl. Now." A rough, yet familiar voice called out to her. She slowly raised her hands above her head, standing up to face the gunman. When she turned around to face him, she froze, and so did he.

* * *

"So, this is Garden City." Leon had almost thought he had taken a wrong turn. Much to his surprise, he passed a sign reading the town's name. He already knew something was wrong, and he could guess what it was. It was unusual for government agents to be sent out to investigate remote towns such as this one. The fact that he had been specifically assigned to the mission had only fueled his suspicion.

Deciding it was better to travel the rest of the way on foot, Leon suited up and headed out to check out the town. After walking for awhile with no signs of life, there was finally movement. A few feet ahead of him, a little girl came running out of a side alley. Her blond hair was a tangled mess on the top of her head. It fell into her eyes, but not enough to cover them from Leon's view. For a moment they both just stood there, studying each other. "What happened to you?" Leon whispered when he was finally able to talk. He reached out for her, ready to attack her if she was a mutation. Startled, she scurried away, running into a nearby building.

Planning to follow after her, he stopped when he noticed he wasn't the only one. A figure darted out from the darkness, going after the girl. The moment the figure was inside, a gunshot rang out. Quickly, Leon made his way to the store. After seeing how well opening the door had worked out for the person before him, he decided to slip through the door, careful not to cut himself on the broken glass.

Another shot sounded followed by a small scream. On full alert, he ducked through the aisles until he came out right behind them. In the light from one of the coolers, he could see the girl. She looked terrified, her blond hair soaked a ruby red. The other person was still in the darkness, the only details Leon could gather was that the person was female.

He stopped behind her, putting his gun to her head. "Back away from the girl. Now." The woman slowly stood up, turning to face him. When she saw him, he froze, and so did she.


	19. Chapter 19: Sound the Alarm

"Claire, it's good to see you." Leon lowered his gun, putting it back into it's holster.

"What are you doing here?" She tried not to glare at him as her words came out icy. He shivered slightly, but regained his composure before meeting her eyes. His face was familiar, yet strangely different, like she was looking at a fractured photograph. His eyes were the same brilliant gray, but now had lines and bags that flowed around them. The sun shone behind him, illuminating his ashy-blond hair that now had a few strands of pure silver sprinkled in. Even the curve of his mouth when he smiled showed new creases in his skin that had not been there the last time she had seen him.

"I could ask you the same question." He beamed at her, much to her ever growing annoyance.

_Why'd he have to age so well?_

"What was that?" Leon raised his eyebrows, cupping his ear so he could hear better.

She looked at him, astonished. "I didn't say anything?" Even she sounded uncertain. He shrugged, dropping the matter. Instead, he turned his attention towards the little girl who was now cowering in the corner.

Leon sank down to his knees, offering her a warm smile. "It's ok. We're not going to hurt you." The little girl slowly turned to him, her unusually bright blue eyes peeking out from under her blond curtain of hair. "What's your name? Where are your parents?" She looked back and forth between him and Claire as if the answers to his questions were written on their faces.

Claire bent down beside Leon, holding out her hand to the girl. "Come on. We can't stay here. We have to get you to safety." She looked at her for a long time, before sliding her tiny hand into Claire's.

The sound of crunching glass set both Claire and Leon on high alert. Leon swung around, crouching from cover to cover until he was right by the door. Claire was right behind him with the girl in tow. "Stop right where you are!" Leon jumped up and raised his gun, ready to pull the trigger. Claire looked up from where she was to see a surprised Piers standing before her. Leon tensed up on the trigger, about to fire.

"Stop! Don't shoot!" Claire dove for Leon's gun, knocking it from his grasp. It slid across the floor and under the checkout counter.

"What the hell, Claire? Do you want to die?" He staggered back, catching her before she hit the ground. "What were you thinking?" He scolded her.

"You would have killed him!" She screamed at Leon, banging her fist against his chest.

Piers silently joined the feuding pair, his machine gun resting at his side. "Claire, I'm glad you're alright." He put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her out of Leon's grasp and into his.

Leon raised one of his eyebrows. "You two know each other, I'm guessing."

Claire shook her head. "Piers, this is..."

"Leon Kennedy." Leon held out his hand to Piers, a sign of good faith. Piers accepted, showing him he didn't take it personally.

"Piers Nivans. Nice to meet you Mr. Kennedy, though I wish it was under better circumstances." They both exchanged a few words as Claire wondered off to check on the girl. When she was out of earshot, Leon began the real conversation.

"So, how long have you known Claire?"

"About eight months. We met at a party." Leon nodded his head in interest.

"Oh. And how long have you two been dating?" Piers looked shocked.

"How did you know we were dating?" He asked a little over defensive. Leon laughed, lightening up the mood again.

"I can tell by the way she looks at you. She wouldn't give you that look if you were just a friend or a partner. That's the look she gives when she's in love and wants to protect you with everything she has. Trust me. I've known her for a very long time. Plus, I've been at the receiving end of it. Yea, it's pretty obvious." Piers's cheeks flushed slightly. Lucky for him, the light was so dim it wasn't noticeable. They both stood there silent until Claire returned.

"By the way Piers, where is the rest of the team?" Claire had been so caught up that she didn't even notice Chris was nowhere to be found.

Piers sighed. "About that. We found a group of survivors barricaded in the town church. Among them was a doctor who told us what happened. Apparently, a mysterious man came into town and kidnapped a bunch of the townspeople, including his wife and daughter. After a few days, he released them, only they were very ill. The doctor did all he could for them, but they all died."

"Only they didn't stay dead. Yea, yea. I got it." Leon waved his hands in front of his face, skipping over the details.

"One of them survived." Piers continued. "His daughter was ill at first, just like the others, but she got better. She ran off when everyone rose from their graves, but she could be the key to a vaccine. So, Chris had us all split up and search for her." Leon and Claire both looked at each other.

"By any chance, did the doctor describe her to you?" Claire pressed the question.

"Yea." Piers reached into his pocket and pulled out a family photo. "The little girl is in the middle. He said her name was Amanda."

As if realizing her name was being called, the little girl came up behind Piers, latching onto his leg. "Oh. You already found her."

"I saw her when we first arrived and followed her here. She knows how to stay away from the infected." Claire fought back the twinge of jealousy as she looked at the girl cling to her boyfriend. "We should hurry back to Chris. The sooner we wrap up this mission the better."

"He said he'd send out a warning if it wasn't safe to roam the streets. Now's as good a time as any."

A low buzzing emitted around them, gradually increasing until it was clear that it was the town's tornado siren. "WHAT IS THAT?" Claire tried to yell over the siren, wondering why it was going off in the first place.

"THAT WOULD BE OUR WARNING. SOMETHING'S COMING." Piers yelled, searching out the window for what it was that Chris was warning them was headed their way.

"WHAT?" Leon looked confused, even as he yelled. Instead of talking, Piers just pointed out the window to something in the distance. A thick fog was rolling in and fast. In the middle of the fog was a giant shadow, closing in on them fast.


End file.
